Scott Rickenbach 10* NHL 10/23
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Matchup: Carolina at Colorado
Time: 9:05 PM EDT (Fri)
Play: Carolina (ML +100)
Line Source: M Resort
Posted on: October 23, 2009 @ 9:37:53 AM EDT
Scott Rickenbach’s NHL 10* (TOP PLAY) Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (-) @ Colorado @ 9:05 PM ET – RATING SYSTEM: Plays range from 6* up to 10*. The 6*, 7*, and 8* picks are the normal, daily play ratings. The 9* and 10* picks are the higher-rated plays and are Top Plays! A 10* Top Play is rare and, of course, is a level above a 9* Top Play!
There are a number of factors here that favor the Hurricanes and with the Canes on the road we also are getting a very manageable line to work with. That is what helped raise this play to our highest rating and our first 10* this NHL season. The Avs have been a pleasant surprise this season and are off to an amazing 6-1-2 start. However, there are a number of factors tonight that tell you why this line is basically a “pick’em” even though the Avalanche have the far superior record compared to Carolina and are hosting the Canes. First off, don’t underestimate the loss of Cody McLeod to an eye injury. He was on the third line for Colorado and was helping to key their physical play. He will be missed. The biggest absence of all for the Avs tonight is expected to be goalie Craig Anderson. He had started every game so far this season for Colorado and he had played very well. However, it’s as good as “written in stone” that he’s going to be in between the pipes tomorrow night against the Red Wings and, therefore, this start goes to Peter Budaj. Keep in mind, Budaj is the back-up for a reason and he’s yet to see action this season. That’s not a good combination…a lack of activity and a demotion to the #2 spot. Last season he proved he couldn’t quite handle the stress of being a number one guy and he’s going to face a tough test against a fired up Canes club.
Budaj was just 20-29-5 last season. He is facing a Hurricanes club that is fired up after losing in the shootout on Long Island on Wednesday. Becoming the first team to lose to the Islanders certainly didn’t sit well with Coach Paul Maurice and his Hurricanes players. Carolina rallied to tie the game at 3 and send it to overtime but then the Canes lost in the shootout. The Hurricanes have proven they can play well and they can do it for extended stretches. This is why they have rallied in a number of 3rd periods already this season. It’s like everyone just waits around until they find out they’ve dug themselves a hole and then they finally remember this is not “pond hockey” and the finally play like a professional hockey club! The point is that the Hurricanes are very, very hungry to put it all together for a complete game. Just like when they blasted the Panthers 7-2 in their only regulation win this season, that is the type of effort we expect to see from Carolina here.
The Hurricanes were very sharp in practice yesterday. It was a very upbeat practice with a lot accomplished in terms of both the physical and mental aspects. The Canes appeared to have hit rock bottom with their loss to the Islanders and we see a huge turnaround on the horizon. Tonight they are expected to have Cam Ward between the pipes and this gives them a big edge in the goaltending department for this game. Ward has been very sharp this season and the Canes skaters should help him out plenty in this game. After falling behind 1-0 in the first period on Wednesday, they outshot the Islanders 30-16 the rest of the way. Based on the way their practice went yesterday and the “signals” we are seeing from these guys, they are absolutely going to bring the same kind of work ethic that they had in periods 2 and 3 at New York on Wednesday. One final note here is that, even though the Avs 6-1-2 record certainly deserves merit, they’ve played only one team so far that has won more than half their games. That was the Blackhawks in Chicago and even though the Avalanche took them to the shootout before losing, the Avs were outshot in each of the three periods in that game. Tonight, with the situation just right for this to happen, we expect to see the Avs get exposed on home ice. Play Carolina on the money line as a 10* Top Play selection.
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